Strategically Building Partnership & Cultivating Connection
Most people see groundwork as just a set of exercises you learn to do with your horse e.g. lunging, yielding the hind quarters etc. Others see it as a substitute people do when they are too scared to ride their horse. While this course will teach you a set of exercises you can do with your horse - it is way more than this and is definitely not a substitute for riding because you are scared. It is something that respects the horse as a living, breathing, thinking and feeling creature. They are not robots that you just tell what to do. They have thoughts and feelings about what they are experiencing. Therefore, you need to respect they can feel negative very quickly if they are feeling uncomfortable or threatened! Learning groundwork and how it can help horses respects them, and can help safe guard against experiencing difficulty with a horse.
Partnership, Relationship & Connection
To work well with a horse you need to form a partnership with them. A partnership that has to face the world together and navigate many things that horses can naturally feel insecure about. You have to teach a horse to look to you for a sense of security and to understand to they need to follow what you are asking them to do.
Every aspect of creating a partnership with a horse can be started on the ground. In fact, it is a far superior and more effective way than attempting to create a quality partnership from the saddle alone.
The Best Place to Start Groundwork
The ideal place to start working with a horse is in the round yard and the round penning process before moving on to groundwork. Therefore, if you have access to a round yard or pen then I would recommend you start here. However, many people do not have access to a round yard and instead start with groundwork which is the next best thing.
What is Groundwork & How it Works
In this master class course I teach you how to work with a horse in a rope halter and lead rope in a way that solves problems and allows them to gain balance and confidence in each gait and how to follow the touch that you transfer down the lead rope or apply to their bodies.
It Also Helps You!
The process also teaches you key qualities related to timing and feel that will forever change your abilities to work, ride and handle horses in a variety of situations.
Additional Float-Trailer Training Challenge
A NEW addition to this course is the "Float-Trailer Training Challenge" that you will find at the end of the course. The challenge is self-paced and uses a foundation of responses that you have taught the horse in the course, plus some specific exercises, to understand and master getting horses calm, willing and confident with floating/trailering!
Groundwork can either be used to follow on from round penning or start a horse's training or re-training from the start. When training is re-started because of problem behaviour or issues I like calling this "rebooting". I call it this because it is like rebooting a computer, removing all the software and starting again to allow the system to be rebuilt and glitches overcome.
Teaching a horse to groundwork can help horses that are prone to being anxious, rushy, lazy, distracted, aggressive or just struggle with cantering!
For example, if you have a horse that struggles with anxiety or is spooky you can teach them to be better able to emotionally process their environment and build their confidence in different situations.
Groundwork is a far easier way for a horse to learn and develop gymnastically and mentally with no one sitting on their back.
Groundwork also allows for the horse to build their balance and confidence in canter. Canter is a therapeutic gait for your horse if they tend to get anxious or worried. Cantering can help horse's learn to relax and helps build resiliency and coping mechanisms.
This course presents a 5 step process to follow and includes:
Watch this video to get a feel for the course contents (click to enlarge):
NEW ADDITION TO COURSE!
NEW ADDITION: FLOAT-TRAILER TRAINING CHALLENGE!
This course now contains advice, preparation and practice steps to help you learn how to float/trailer train your horse.
Horse Trainer & Expert in Human Learning
Dr. Shelley Appleton is the founder of “Calm Willing Confident Horses”. Shelley teaches people how to train horses by presenting online courses, training lessons and clinics. Shelley helps riders nurture partnerships with their horses whilst building confidence, trust, knowledge and skillsets. Shelley has an uncanny, highly experienced ability to recognise, problem solve and correct issues with horses. Her doctorate in Human Learning proves beneficial to all coaching scenarios allowing a deeper understanding of strategies helping people develop their awareness, thinking and skillsets to be more in tune with their horse.
Shelley can help remove the frustration and fear out of owning and riding horses and increase your enjoyment. Let her show you how to support your horse to be calm, willing and confident.
Shelley is a published author of books - Confidence & Trust, Solving the Human & Horse Equation and Buying & Supporting a New Horse, The Essential Guide.
She is the co-host of the popular Canter Therapy Podcast and creator of the her program of teaching people to help horses called the Complete Reboot System which consists of the following courses and master classes: Things to Know About Horses,
Establishing a Starting Point, How to Roundpen a Horse, How to Groundwork a Horse and How to Build a Riding Foundation on a Horse.
You can find out more about Shelley and access her podcasts, blogs, coaching and clinic schedule at www.calmwillingconfidenthorses.com.au
Purchase for a single payment of $299. Or spread the cost by paying $59.95 a month for 6 months.
Regular price
6 Monthly Payments of $59.95
What People Have Discovered From This Master Class
"This was such an amazing course. I think it's the simplicity of how you explain things step by step and build on things to the point of clarity for both horse and rider was great. I'm a very visual learner and the way this course is presented really helped me" Ilka
"The visual presentation of the instructions I found really helpful. I also really appreciated being able to get individual feedback on the horse and performance was awesome." Rebecca
"Finding this course came at exactly the right time for me when my main horse was coming out of rehab after a tendon tear. Being of impatient nature, already having done a lot of these excercises years ago armed with little Parelli booklets (pre cd). But coming into Step 2 made me back up and really think about why do it, how to do it and the results when done clearly. I learned so much about lunging during the course. Thanks Shelley, the amount of time and expertise you are sharing with us is amazing, I have learnt so much"! Melissa
"I absolutely LOOOOOVE your courses, absolutely brilliant. Your presentation and ease of explanation is so clear and actually provides confidence as well..and that is key..confidence..I am the best person for my horse! Thank you Shelly for putting this together" Daniella
"I really like your approach Shelley, the systematic step by step method with visual cues it really suits my learning needs. I trust your way I know you are highly educated and have those research skills to dismiss a lot of mis-information and there is so much about. Your great with the human side too and I believe this makes you unique." Debra
You will need a rope halter, a 12-14ft lead rope, a training stick and string. Equipment purchase recommendations are within the course. You will also need access to a safe not slip surface that is not too soft/deep or hard to practice the exercises.
You have course life time access. Therefore, you have plenty of time to take the course at your own pace.
If you follow the course for two weeks and engage in all the assessment and feedback opportunities and find that you have not had any improvement with your horse or discovered the reasons behind your horse's behavioural issues - your course fee will be refunded.
Yes you do. Each course chapter has an optional assessment that you can submit for feedback. However, you can email Dr Shelley Appleton at any time and ask for help if you have any queries.
If you work your horse 3-4 times a week the course should take you 2-3 weeks to work through.
If you have any questions that are not answered here please email Dr Shelley Appleton via [email protected]
Video Stories
Here is a little video that I have just put together. People told me they wanted to see a before and after video. So, here is one and it documents how I fix things by ticking through groundwork. This horse would threaten and kick out at the leg and whip when asked to do an upward transition. People tend to think that this is the problem and you have to tackle this behaviour. I don't even bother tackling that....I tackle the CAUSE. The cause is always a glitch in the foundation training of the horse - what it knows and how it feels about being handled and ridden. Fix that and you fix the problem.
So here you see me ticking through my process finding what the horse knows, what it doesn't and caring about teaching it and allowing it develop confidence...and the kicking out threatening behaviour disappears!!
It could have been spooking, anxiety, laziness, resistance, pulling, rushing etc...I just do the exactly the same thing.
So, this video gives a snap shot of WHAT I do and WHY I do it...when I work with people and they participate in my courses and challenges I show them HOW to do this!
This video also includes the round penning process, but if I didn't have access to a round pen I still could have helped this horse. I just would have spent more time in groundwork achieving the same changes.
If the course is right for you or your horse?
If you are not sure this course is suitable for your horse. Please contact Dr Shelley Appleton via email [email protected] and she will examine your situation and help you customise the best approach training approach to suit you and your horse's situation.
